PHL debate community kicks off summer with national tourney

MANILA, Philippines – Forget the beach. The most intense heat this summer will be in debate rooms.

This April 2-7, the University of the Philippines Debate Society (UPDS) presents the 14th Philippine Intercollegiate Debating Championship (PIDC). Sparks will fly as over 300 debaters and adjudicators from all over the country battle it out for the win.

Themed “Fuel the Filipino Mind”, this year’s PIDC aims to continue its tradition of providing an avenue for the Filipino youth to explore and analyze various issues relevant on a national, as well as global, scale. As the largest debate tournament in the country that follows the Asians Parliamentary format, PIDC seeks to unite the Philippine debate community and push it to its limits.

To launch PIDC 2014 on April 2, an opening dinner will be held as a light prelude to the grueling tournament proper. Five preliminary rounds over the next three days will serve to narrow down the contenders to the top 16 who will face off in the finals series. April 5 will see an issue forum in which experts in a particular field will share comprehensive and up-to-date information and insights on matters concerning the nation.

Another tournament will run alongside the finals series in the interest of celebrating diversity and forwarding regional competition and camaraderie. Called the Sinag Cup, the competition will feature the top two novice teams from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and NCR.

The week-long tournament will have its culmination in the form of a championship dinner at the Asian Development Bank on April 7. Grand Finals, to be conducted during the dinner, will be hosted by Rod Nepomuceno and featured on Solar TV's Opposing Views.

With the exception of Grand Finals, the PIDC 2014 debate rounds are to be held in UP Diliman and will be open to the public.